Reviews

Mark’s motivation and passion comes from personal stories on overcoming adversity, abuse of drugs and alcohol and a target of bullying when he was in high school. Students were on the edge of their seats and parents commented on how important it was for them to hear Mark’s message before sending their kids off to high school. Powerful, personal, and funny motivational speaker with a unique and inspirational story for parents and students

Don’t let Mark’s easy going demeanor fool you – he carries a powerful message of hope. His contribution for the New Jersey Hopeline’s 2014 World Suicide Prevention Day event was much appreciated and Mark’s willingness to share his family’s experience of loss and his commitment to ending stigma is both moving and inspiring. Thank you Mark!!

Mr. Farrell was the keynote speaker at the “BoroSafe” (Suicide Awareness For Everyone) second annual community forum. His talk was both informative and encouraging. Mr. Farrell used both personal and professional experience to deliver the message of hope and resiliency. He is an entertaining speaker who held the audience’s attention. Although the population of the audience was different than originally expected, Mr. Farrell was able to modify and adapt his speech to meet their needs. He is a highly energetic speaker who was a great addition to the forum. We have no doubt that his keynote helped make the forum successful.

Mark Farrell served our firm with a perfect mix of motivation, humor and uplifting personal experience during a corporate event to touch each employee personally while inspiring success and determination. Mark’s professionalism, contagious charisma and flexibility made working with him something we look forward to again in the future.

Robin Greene, Vice President
Prestigious Hedge Fund Greenwich, CT

Mark gave the keynote address at a “Sports for All” program held at the main New York Public Library. The target audience was people of all ages with a wide range of disabilities. His message of persistence despite barriers resonated with all of us. And Mark’s ability to motivate everyone, no matter their age or level of ability is a rare gift. I so appreciate his generous spirit and encouraging words and know those in the audience share this feeling. Thanks, Mark!

Brigid Cahalan, M.L.S.
Outreach Services, The New York Public Library

Mark connected with the audience with ease through his energy, humor and positive outlook. Mark’s message and motivation reached across to everyone, including myself. He was a great addition to our event and we would love to have him back again! Thank you Mark!

Lori Matlow, Community Relations Manager
Barnes & Noble

Mark did an AWESOME job in his presentations during PRIDE week at our school. He delivers a powerful message in a sincere and heartfelt way. He kept the students engaged and interested.
We look forward to having him back in the near future.

Kevin B. Flynn, Student Assistance Counselor
Marlboro High School

Mark Farrell is an engaging speaker and a remarkably talented man whose personal experiences overcoming adversity are inspirational. I am very grateful that our students and faculty had the chance to hear him speak and to meet him at our school. His moving stories about his own experiences with visual impairment enhanced our understanding about the challenges associated with vision loss and the power of the human spirit to meet those challenges with determination and dignity.

Mark Kiselica
Dean, School of Education
The College of New Jersey

We were pleased to have Mark Farrell at the 2nd Annual NJ Disability Pride Parade and Celebration in Trenton, NJ. Mark added ingredients of humor and motivation that the audience found inspiring and memorable. We received many compliments regarding his talk and it was very refreshing to have someone whose focus on life is so very positive. Thank you Mark for adding to a great day – we hope to have you every year?

Carole Tonks, Executive Director
Disability Pride Parade

Mr. Farrell’s motivational presentation gave students the opportunity to reflect on their own differences, to accept the differences of others, and to recognize that many personal obstacles are possible to overcome. Thank you for your very important message.

Adam L. Angelozzi, Principal
Manalapan High School, Manalapan, N.J.

Mark sent an important message to our students (k-5), that our challenges can make us stronger! He was a great example for our students and helped them to see that problems are only opportunities in disguise. His message resonated with our students and provided for thought-provoking discussions even after he left!

Cathleen Areman, Principal
Marshall W. Errickson School, Freehold, NJ

Mark Farrell was very enthusiastic and illustrated a unique disability. Not only was his presentation entertaining but it was very educational. He was exceptional in reaching the students.

When Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg asked me who I would choose to speak at New York City’s Disability Mentoring Day reception hosted by the Mayor himself, Mark Farrell immediately came to mind. Mark is committed to persons with disabilities and other life challenges through mentoring and he inspires others by sharing his own life story overcoming his disability to be the success he is today. Mark has the natural ability to make people he comes into contact with feel better about themselves as well as empowered. His stage presence and energy combined with his sense of humor captivated the audience.

Matthew Sapolin, Executive Director,
Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities

Mark is an absolutely extraordinary talent who demonstrates energy through a very sincere compassion that he brings to his work. He is dynamic in the energy he brings to an organization through his personality of welcome and an appreciation and understanding of the differences in people.

Marc Edenzon, President
New Jersey Special Olympics

Mark Farrell, a person with great sensitivity and insight into human behavior based on his own life experiences, instantly drew the undivided attention of everyone in the room. His ease with himself was instantly conveyed to everyone participating, without any hesitation. Mark Farrell got vulnerable, freely sharing his life struggles and triumphs in an interactive exchange with a group of young people who share his experience of introspective exploration. Clearly Mark Farrell’s journey has not stopped his explorations as he asked questions, sought insight and perspectives from everyone around him, and allowed for a most liberating experience for everyone at Road Recovery! His ability to recall the smallest details only supports his natural connection and bond with everyone he meets. Mark Farrell’s strong communication skills and willingness to listen, matched by a great sense of humor, only furthered his instant connection with the entire Road Recovery family.

Gene Bowen, President
Road Recovery

I have known Mark Farrell for many years and have seen firsthand how he has helped advance suicide prevention in our country. Mark brings an amazing amount of energy and true dedication to our cause. Through his unique ability to communicate Mark has educated the public about suicide, its causes, warning signs and prevention, and he has motivated countless numbers of people personally affected by the loss of a loved one to become involved as volunteers and advocates. His strength of character is extraordina ry, and his passion is inspiring.

What some of the students have to say…

I’ve seen many speakers at our school during my four years and Mark was by far the best – his message offered something for everyone – plus he’s really funny.

Mark did a magnificent job of letting our students know about the struggles he’s overcome and his incredible determination to not let our limitations (perceived or real) to get in the way of pursuing our dreams and being proud of who we are. “My difference makes me stronger” and “Bullies don’t have the real power—I DO” are perfect mantras for our students to remember! In addition to hearing about Mark’s incredible life story, what made his presentation so spectacular was his ability to tell his story in a way that connected to all of our students. Mark’s message of self-acceptance and perseverance was extremely moving and important. Our teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators and staff members were as impressed by Mark as much as our students were. Mark is a true inspiration to all of us!

Robert Schweitzer
Supervisor of Special Education, Colts Neck High School Colts Neck NJ

Mark Farrell was an amazing motivational speaker for “The Better Vision Institute’s Vision Summit on Low Vision” at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Mark not only did a wonderful job at the event itself by sharing his personal experiences, but he motivated others to participate further to help our cause. In addition to speaking, Mark worked with us on the media outreach and played an integral part in us achieving more than 6.5 million gross media impressions nationwide. Mark was also an absolute pleasure to work with and such a positive force and I hope to know and work with him again for years to come.

Over the years Mark has been a most effective motivational force in his work with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and with hundreds of our volunteers. His passion to help people and organizations reach higher goals inspire us “to be the best that we can be.” Mark’s innate leadership qualities very much magnify everything he brings to an organization.

James Minow, Chief Development Officer,
Foundation Fighting Blindness

William Paterson University is very proud to number Mark Farrell among our most impressive alumni. The William Paterson University Alumni Association felt very fortunate to secure him as a presenter for our May, 2012 Webinar, “How to Be the Best You.” Mark’s personal journey serves as his own best example for overcoming life’s challenges. His inspirational presentation was woven with a practical recipe of useful advice, tough love, and appropriate humor. You can’t help but have respect for Mark and, at the same time, be inspired to become a better version of yourself than you ever were before!

Mark truly energized the crowd and engaged the youth in a truly effective way, we were very happy to see the very important anti-bullying message delivered in such a kid-friendly, yet meaningful way. Way to go! Thank you for the experience Mark!

When the City of New York hosted an event, “Let Freedom Run”, to honor and remember the victims of 9/11, we reached out to Mark to be our emcee. He intuitively knew exactly how to motivate and inspire the runners and made this extraordinary event an even better one. They simply don’t come better than Mark!

Kenneth J. Podziba, President/Chief Executive Officer
Bike New York

We were fortunate to have Mark host the Achilles Track Club annual “Hope and Possibility” event in Central Park, and his outgoing, warm and welcoming personality motivated and geared up all of our race participants and supporters. He is a natural-born host, and his winning personality helped make the event one of our best events ever. While the race was underway, Mark took full advantage of that down-time to speak with event sponsors, exhibitors and race supporters individually to show appreciation for their support. He listened to their personal stories and he would share inspirational moments with the crowd to further motivate and reach others with these courageous anecdotes. Mark went above and beyond the call of duty and is much more than just an emcee. His empathy and ability to connect with an audience is rare and 100% genuine making the event more memorable.

Dick Traum, Founder and President
Achilles Track Club

Mark’s participation in the Second Annual Best Buddies Friendship Walk took the event to a whole other level. He made sure the flow of the event was seamless, but even more importantly, he tied in the Best Buddies mission of friendship to every component he introduced. Mark was funny and entertaining, keeping everyone engaged and excited from beginning to end. Best Buddies is working to provide opportunities for social inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; Mark made sure that all of our Best Buddies participants that were there that day felt like stars. Everyone LOVED Mark – we hope to have him back year after year!!

Amanda Fulmer, President
Best Buddies

Mark’s charismatic personality and natural ability to connect with an audience made the fifth annual Laugh For Sight NYC a smashing success! As the event’s opening host, Mark brought incredible energy, humor, and knowledge of retinal degenerative eye diseases, which helped educate our guests and sponsors and encouraged people to open their checkbooks. His professionalism, charm and magnetic presence were the perfect start to our event and led to a spectacular and successful evening overall.

Brian Fischler, President & Founder
Laugh For Sight

Mark’s keynote address to the athletes was personal, encouraging and challenging. His words and story of overcoming adversity were truly inspirational to the thousands present for the Opening Ceremonies at the “Victory Challenge”. Mark’s presentation and positive force resulted in a gold medal performance that will be long remembered. I look forward to Mark sharing his exuberance and insight next year.

Matthew Dwyer, Executive Director
Empire State Games

The knowledge and fiery passion Mark brought to 52 FEST was integral to our fundraising efforts for paralyzed Rutgers football player, Eric LeGrand. Mark’s dynamic stage presence made the day more compelling, entertaining and his ability of soliciting donations for Eric along with combining enthusiastic introductions for the over fifteen bands was natural and top notch. 52 FEST was on one of the hottest days New Jersey has ever experienced. However, the heat did not stop Mark from exhibiting complete selflessness and professionalism. It’s safe to say, without him, 52 FEST would have been nowhere near the success that it was.

Elliot Solop
Co-Founder, 52 FEST

Mark Farrell is one of those gifted and charming individuals who has the ability to truly motivate and uplift his audience. His enthusiasm and passion shine through, whether he is talking at the Washington Press Club to Doctors or CEO’s or addressing listeners on his radio show.